Improvement in cardi ng-mach i n es



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS Gr. BOONE, OF BROOKLYN, NEV YORK.

IIVIPROVEM ENT IN CARDINGE'MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 6,197, dated March 20,1849.

T0 all zzz/'tom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS G. BOONE, of the city of Brooklyn, county ofKings, and Stat-e of New York, have in vented a Carding- Machine, whichis new in its combinations and valuable in its operation, by which Ipurpose to operate on the staple of cotton by sub jecting it to theaction of two or more main cylinders in one machine, so combining theiraction with other cylinders therein that the greatest benefit may beattained in the carding of the staple and the disengagement of theimpurities therefrom with the least possible damage to the fiber orstaple, which I effeet by separating or spreading the staple into astate of unusual sparsity, and subjecting it while in. such state ofextreme division to successive action of carding by means of successivemain and doifer cylinders in one machine, of which- Figure l is a sideelevation. der, known as a 1icker-in. Z) is a main cylinder. c is adoffer. d is a stripper. e is a main cylinder. f is a doffer. gis areducing-dofferh is a second reducing-doffer. s is a comb. t' is aclearingcylinder. j is a top stripper. 7tis a lap-cylinder- Z is a lap-CL is a cylinrod. fm is a weighted roller. n n are feedrollers. The bator lap of cotton is put around the lap-rod Z, which, with the batthereon, is placed and resting on lap-cylin` der la, is turned andunwound by its motion, carrying the lap under the weighted roller m, bywhich it is pressed against the lap-cylinder, partaking of its motion,presenting the staple to feed-rollers n, n, said feed-rollers having amore accelerated motion or speed, by which it is drawn out and reducedto any state of thinness required and presented to the licker-in a,which turns toward said vfeedrollers, beating the cotton and taking thestaple underneath up to main cylinder b. Main cylinder b is placed overlicker-in a, in order that the dirt and impurities disengaged in theaction between the licher-in and main cylinder might escape through anaperture into a chamber', both of which are provided in the casingthereto at t, while the staple is carried forward and carded on the edgeof doffer c, from which it is taken by stripper d on its edge underneathto main cylinder e, by which it is carried forward and carded onto thecard-edge of doifer f,which, revolving to action.

ward its main cylinder c, takes the staple underneath andl deposits iton the upper surface of card-cylinder g. Cylinder g is areducing-flotter having about one-third the surface speed of doft'er fand revolving and having its card-edge in an opposite direction, itsupper surface and edge moving Ain the same direction of the lowersurface and edge of doffer f at a much less surface speed, therebycollecting the sparsely-distributcd ber from the doffer f and conveyingit to second reducing-doffer h. Redncing-doifer 7L has its edge andmotion in an opposite direction to cylinder g and precisely the same asdoffer f, but of a surface speed reduced to about one-third of that ofreducing-dolfer g, by which means the staple is collected from the lowersurface of reducing-doifer g, on the upper surface of secondreducing-flotter h, in a thicker sheet suitable for the action of thecomb s, by which it is'separated from said doffer.

The carding of cotton is one of the most important branches in themanufacturing of that article, and the object sought to be attained isthe separating of the staple or iber thereof from each other in a manneras perfeet-ly as it can be done with the least possible injury to saidbers, and the placing of them together again in their light and separateform in a manner less compact than their former state. To effect this,two objects are necessary: One is to separate it from its remainingimpurities; the other to place it in such a state of extreme divisionthat its fibers can be acted upon without seriously injuring them, andthe process best calculated and properly arranged to do the one is bestalso to effect the other,

The benelits to be derived from this invention may be bettercontemplated if we calculate the sparsity of cotton as spread out on thesurface of dofer c preparatory to further The surface speed of acommonmain cylinder of forty inches diameter revolving one hundred and twentyturns per minute given to one of my main cylinders of twelve inchesdiameter would require about four hundred turns per minute and ,thedoffer speed of one-seventh of the same about fiftyseven turns perminute. Taking one and one half ounce per minute on a card of thirtyinches width, being at the rate of about sixty pounds per day, thesurface of a doifer thirty inches wide and twelve inches diameter beingabout eleven hundred and thirtyone square inches multiplied byfifty-seven turns per minute, making four thousand four hundred andsixty-seven square inches of (iOffer-surface over which one and one-halfounce of cotton would be spread per minute on doffer c, from the surfaceof which it being taken, as aforesaid, by stripper d, the surface speedof stripper d being more than twice the speed of doffer c, it woulddouble the sparsity of the same in presenting it to main cylinder c atthe rate of one and onehalf ounce of cotton spread over about onehundred and twenty-eight thousand nine hundred square inches, maincylinder c commencing its action of carding and cleaning from a feedingin by said stripper d at this extreme division or sparsity.

Other beneiits su perior to the combinations heretofore in use aresecured in providing for and eifecting the disengagement of theimpurities of the cotton therefrom by all the first cylindrical actions'to which it is subjected, as seen, to wit, u t o w.

Vhereas in common machines, after the cotton has been once conveyed tothe main cylinder, there is little or no chance for the escape of itsweightiest impurities until they are carried forward and fall out at thelast action had thereon between the doffer and main cylinder; and whenthe large amount of hard earthy and silicious substances usuallydisengaged at that last action is contemplated, in connection with itsdulling and roughing effects on the cards and the staple-breakingeffects on the cotton, the evil attending the common action of workersis apparent, for while it is conceded that they do a considerable amountot' carding and evening, they, by their continual returning of thestaple over and over to be acted upon by the main cylinder-cards alreadyovercharged with staple and impurities, must do a vast amount of staplebreaking, waste-making, &c.,wl1ereas in my plan no cotton once takenfrom my main cylinder is again subjected to its action, but its progressis forward, thinly scattered by speeding up the doffers to several timesthe proportional speed which dolfers have to their main cylinder in thecommon method.

I have also constructeda card-roller or topcleaning-cylinder 'i to turnat slow speed,with its edges forward on its surface next the maincylinder, contrary to the motion of the same, to take the impuritiesprojecting from the surface thereof without causing them a morecompressed action against the same, which they would have under acylinder revolving in a contrary direction, or if driven under thetop-flats, by being iiittered against by the cards.

j is a beater or stripper to clean top clearer t', revolving toward itand depositing its contents on the casing prepared to receive it.

Fig. 2 is a sectional View of the same principle of combination, wherethree main cylinders and three doffers have been used with only onereducing-doffer, which formI would prefer to that of Fig. l, thecombinations being virtually the same. cisely the same as in Fig. l. oisa third main cylinder; p,athird doffer; q,areducingdotfer. Maincylinder 0 revolves toward doffer f, stripping the staple therefrom,carrying it underneath, and carding it onto doi'fer p. Doiferp,revolving toward reducing-doffer q, deposits its staple on the surfaceof that cylinder. Reducing-doffer q, having its edge and motion contraryto that of doffer p, receives its staple, carrying it underneath and upto the separating action of comb s.

l. Having thus explained the nature of my invention, its mode ofconstruction and operation, I do not claim the lap-cylinder 7c, nor thelicker-in a, nor the feed-rollers n n; but I claim the weighted rollerm, in combination with the feed-rollers and the lap-cylinde, for thepurpose of drawing in cotton and feeding it to the licker-in in athinner sheet 2. I do not claim a licker-in nor the iirst main cylinderas such, nor the common action of sucheylinders as they mayhavebeenheretofore well known, in whatever relative position they mayhave been placed; but I do claim the aperture and chamber in the casingat t, where the casing projects in near to where the main cylinder-card,at its lowest surface, takes the staple from the top or upper surface ofthe licker-in card, near to such aperture and chamber, as described,(and also provided in the casingg) and I do claim them also incombination with the peculiar placing of such main cylinder b directlyover the licker-iu a, so as to bring their place of nearest proximityand action exactly or nearly over the center of the licker-in and asnear to such aperture and chamber as it may safely be placed, in orderto discharge such dirt and silicious impurities as may be disengaged bysuch action and throwing it through such aperture by the combined motionof both cylinders, without allowing it to fall either into the cardsagain or onto the lap or mat of cotton entering them.

3. I do not claim the using of two doffers to one main cylinder, or ofdouble doffers, so called, as such have been used in different methodsand for different purposes, having action with the main cylinder; but Ido claim the arrangement and action of a reducingdoffer as my owninvention, the saine having no action with the main cylinder, but withthe doffer, whereby I collect the fiber from the common dotfer, thoughsparsely scattered thereon, into a thicker sheet or mat more suitablefor a proper delivery by the comb or other apparatus for stripping orclearing the same; and I claim the same whether operated by using twosuch reducing-doffers in combination, as cylinders g and h, Fig. l,

a bcdefarepre' or by using one only, as cylinder Aq in Fig. 2, or in anyother way that is substantially the same in principle and effect, inorder to collectthe staple from the common doffer into a thicker mat, tobe taken olf by a comb or other stripper. I am enabled by the action ofsuch I'educingdoffer to run the common doft'er at a much greater speedthan is usual, thereby presenting a much larger amount of clean doiercard-sheet to the surface of the main cylinder, whereby I keep thestaple in greater sparsity than I otherwise could without having it toosparse to be delivered in a perfect mat or sheet.

4. I do not claim a card-roller or top-clearing cylinder extendingacross a main cylinder, simply as such, I having understood thattop-lats have been constructed as well rotating as stationary; thoserevolving doing so in a direction calculated to press the impurities bythem disengaged from the main cylinder under their lower surfacesbetween them and the main cylinder, carrying it to a place to bestripped from o their rising surface; but what I do claim is acard-roller or top-elearing cylinder 'L' moving the impuritiesdisengaged by its lower surface from the main cylinder on its edge in adirection contrary to the edge and action of the main cyl inder, andcalculated to take it out from the place of contact without pressing itbetween itself and the main cylinder, in combination with beater orstripper j, revolving in a manner to clear the same and deposit thestrippings, as described.

THOMAS G. BOONE.

Vitnesses:

SIDNEY C. HERBERT, WILLIAM C. HERBERT.

